Taking control —

Xbox One controller now usable on Windows PCs

Support was promised when the console was released—now it's here.

Gamers wanting to use their Xbox One controllers to play games on their PCs can now do so thanks to the release of a Windows driver for the gamepads.

Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb posted direct links to the drivers, and he writes that Microsoft will be putting the drivers on Windows Update "in the near future."

With the drivers, the Xbox One controller will work with any game that currently supports the Xbox 360 controller. Any Xbox One controller can be used with a PC simply by using a micro-USB cable; wireless isn't supported, and unlike the Xbox 360 wireless controller, there's no PC-compatible dongle to allow wireless usage.

The new controller represents a nice upgrade over the old one. The new D-pad design is a marked improvement on the old one, and the standard use of black plastic means that the controller won't turn a disgusting yellowy color as my white Xbox 360 gamepad has.

Xbox 360 controller used a standard USB connector on the console end. There were special "for Windows" packages sold but the only difference from the standard wired Xbox 360 controller that came with the early consoles was that they included a driver CD in the package.

You may be thinking of the "Play and Charge" kit cable that used a proprietary connector on the wireless controller end, but that cable was only used for charging, the controller still communicated over wireless.

I replaced my white 360 controller shell. I think I did it at http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/ but I can't verify that at work. Either way, I went for a shiny green chrome that entertained me. Sadly, I didn't know I would be that entertained by shiny objects, I mean, I knew I was entertained by them, but not THAT entertained by them over time.

edit: Yeesh, I just wanted to be helpful by adding a link for an easy example. I expect people to actually look around once when know what they're looking for so I didn't think of it as a plug. If it makes people feel better that it isn't all rainbows and unicorns (poor unicorns being colorblind...). It did wear on a couple spots so it isn't pristine anymore but it doesn't look dirty like my white controller shells did, and you may/may not like a completely smooth controller without the texture.

Xbox 360 controller used a standard USB connector on the console end. There were special "for Windows" packages sold but the only difference from the standard wired Xbox 360 controller that came with the early consoles was that they included a driver CD in the package.

You may be thinking of the "Play and Charge" kit cable that used a proprietary connector on the wireless controller end, but that cable was only used for charging, the controller still communicated over wireless.

That's odd, I have a years-old white Xbox360 and it hasn't yellowed noticeably. I assumed it was made differently than the old PC cases, which do seem to yellow over time, though now I think of it I never had one get all that discolored either. Weird, now I kind of wonder what I'm missing ...

Sweet, can anyone with a One speak to the quality of it's controller over the 360's? I'd be interested in upgrading just for the decent dpad, though not if there's significant quality regressions elsewhere.

Now that people have had the XB1 controller for a while, anyone having thumbstick drift issues? I enjoy using my 360 controllers, but every single one of them won't center anymore (even after a relatively short usage time, the drift starts). Is this still a problem with the new controllers?

I've been waiting for this. Still using my old Xbox controller, and the sticks has become far too imprecise to play DS 2 without frequent furious raging. Also looking forward to a more precise D-pad.Yay!

Xbox 360 controller used a standard USB connector on the console end. There were special "for Windows" packages sold but the only difference from the standard wired Xbox 360 controller that came with the early consoles was that they included a driver CD in the package.

You may be thinking of the "Play and Charge" kit cable that used a proprietary connector on the wireless controller end, but that cable was only used for charging, the controller still communicated over wireless.

The cable you describe was also used to charge the controller if connected to the Xbox 360. I am not exactly sure if it was proprietary ( in the sense nobody could license the cable ), the wireless adapter was indeed proprietary, although later towards the end of life of the adapter itself people were able to clone it.

The cable itself wasn't required if you purchase other alternative methods to charge the battery. Most third-party solutions were stand alone solutions which allowed you to "store" the controller and charge it.

The major design difference between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers is charges the "wireless battery pack" over standard USB connector instead of the proprietary end. Both consoles use a USB to the console to charge the controller.

Sweet, can anyone with a One speak to the quality of it's controller over the 360's? I'd be interested in upgrading just for the decent dpad, though not if there's significant quality regressions elsewhere.

I'd like to know this too, as I have a silver (twisty d-pad) 360 controller that I use on my PC, but the analog sticks on it don't always center fully.

Now that people have had the XB1 controller for a while, anyone having thumbstick drift issues? I enjoy using my 360 controllers, but every single one of them won't center anymore (even after a relatively short usage time, the drift starts). Is this still a problem with the new controllers?

I know the exact problem you mean...I have not experienced that yet on a X1 controller.

I did purchase a One controller and tried the unofficial drivers. The controller is great. The triggers are particularly nice. The unofficial drivers were horrendous, so this is great news.

However, what took Microsoft so long? It was revealed that the Xbone runs an OS "indistinguishable from Windows". Did it really take them 8 months to "port" Windows x86 drivers to Windows x86? I was sure they'd have a big reveal of a new PC SKU or a wireless receiver to go along with this release. Hopefully E3 has something in store for us next week.

Also, it's worth noting that the 3rd party 360 wireless receiver works excellently with Microsoft's official 360 receiver drivers for their now defunct receiver unit -- for the 360 controller of course.

Sweet, can anyone with a One speak to the quality of it's controller of the 360's? I'd be interested in upgrading just for the decent dpad, though not if there's significant quality regressions elsewhere.

I like then both for different reasons. The one controller takes a bit of getting used to if you use a 360 controller extensively. The knurled edges of the XB1 thumbsticks are great, but I prefer the extra tension of the 360 thumbsticks. The new triggers are fantastic but the proximity and ergonomics of the shoulder buttons leave a bit to be desired. The new dpad isn't perfect but it's pretty much as good as it gets for a dpad without dedicated buttons a la sony controllers....having said that it's still worlds better than the dpad on 360 controllers.

That's odd, I have a years-old white Xbox360 and it hasn't yellowed noticeably. I assumed it was made differently than the old PC cases, which do seem to yellow over time, though now I think of it I never had one get all that discolored either. Weird, now I kind of wonder what I'm missing ...

Exposure to sun probably. If you leave your white 360 controller in the window or on a coffee table where it would get a lot of sunlight, it is much more likely to yellow than one kept in a shady den.

Now that people have had the XB1 controller for a while, anyone having thumbstick drift issues? I enjoy using my 360 controllers, but every single one of them won't center anymore (even after a relatively short usage time, the drift starts). Is this still a problem with the new controllers?

I purchase a new 360 controller every 4 -6 months because of this (always the left thumbstick for me). I have not had an issue with drift on either of my xb1 controllers, and they have both been used extensively since launch day.

That's odd, I have a years-old white Xbox360 and it hasn't yellowed noticeably. I assumed it was made differently than the old PC cases, which do seem to yellow over time, though now I think of it I never had one get all that discolored either. Weird, now I kind of wonder what I'm missing ...

Exposure to sun probably. If you leave your white 360 controller in the window or on a coffee table where it would get a lot of sunlight, it is much more likely to yellow than one kept in a shady den.

The Xbox360 controller I use on my computer is already black though.

Peter's problem is probably with McRib residue left on his hands while gaming.

Now that people have had the XB1 controller for a while, anyone having thumbstick drift issues? I enjoy using my 360 controllers, but every single one of them won't center anymore (even after a relatively short usage time, the drift starts). Is this still a problem with the new controllers?

I had this problem with some of the older 360 controllers I had, but, interestingly, the one I got with my Kinect-edition 360 has yet to show it.

However, what took Microsoft so long? It was revealed that the Xbone runs an OS "indistinguishable from Windows". Did it really take them 8 months to "port" Windows x86 drivers to Windows x86?

While the timeframe is most likely primarily due to PC drivers just not being a priority, it's a little more complex in that MS had to write a driver that makes the XB1 controller act the same as a X360 controller when using Xinput on Win7/8, which they didn't have to do for the XB1 itself.

I was sure they'd have a big reveal of a new PC SKU or a wireless receiver to go along with this release. Hopefully E3 has something in store for us next week.

MS stated when the XB1 was released that there would be no XB1 controller kit for Windows SKU, only a forthcoming driver which could be used with the standard console controller SKUs. While I hope that they come out with a new wireless receiver for Windows as a separate SKU (my X360 wireless receiver died recently, and the only thing available now is clones from HK), I wouldn't bet on it.

However, what took Microsoft so long? It was revealed that the Xbone runs an OS "indistinguishable from Windows". Did it really take them 8 months to "port" Windows x86 drivers to Windows x86?

While the timeframe is most likely primarily due to PC drivers just not being a priority, it's a little more complex in that MS had to write a driver that makes the XB1 controller act the same as a X360 controller when using Xinput on Win7/8, which they didn't have to do for the XB1 itself.

Not to mention QA testing. Making sure it work as a drop-in replacement on every game that supports 360 controllers and there aren't any weird edge-cases where subtle bugs or differences in the drivers make games wig out no doubt took a ton of time.

I'm not a console gamer but have a 360 wireless (that might be redundant) controller that I use for such games as Batman.

Is there any good reason for me to upgrade if my current 360 controller is in good repair?

If you are currently satisfied with the performance of the 360 controller I would say no. It is in some ways different but there is nothing that I would say makes it clearly superior.

Interesting, in that I've been pretty happy with the 360 controller, and didn't have an appreciable preference between it and the Dual Shock 3, but after getting a PS4, I have to say the DS4 blows both out of the water in ergonomics, especially for long sessions. Seems Sony really knocked it out of the park this time, more so than I had thought(I assumed the XB1 controller would be similarly better than the 360 one.)

That's odd, I have a years-old white Xbox360 and it hasn't yellowed noticeably. I assumed it was made differently than the old PC cases, which do seem to yellow over time, though now I think of it I never had one get all that discolored either. Weird, now I kind of wonder what I'm missing ...

that controller wasn't made in the 90s.

we have a ton of old hardware in our lab, the older it is the more it's discolored.

I'm not a console gamer but have a 360 wireless (that might be redundant) controller that I use for such games as Batman.

Is there any good reason for me to upgrade if my current 360 controller is in good repair?

If you are currently satisfied with the performance of the 360 controller I would say no. It is in some ways different but there is nothing that I would say makes it clearly superior.

Interesting, in that I've been pretty happy with the 360 controller, and didn't have an appreciable preference between it and the Dual Shock 3, but after getting a PS4, I have to say the DS4 blows both out of the water in ergonomics, especially for long sessions. Seems Sony really knocked it out of the park this time, more so than I had thought(I assumed the XB1 controller would be similarly better than the 360 one.)

I've got to admit that I was never a fan of the DS3, I always found the ergonomics to be awkward for my large manpaws. The DS4 on the other hand addressed every complaint I ever had about it...with the exception of battery life, and even the battery life isn't bad enough for me to call it a deal breaker. I have been eminently satisfied with the DS4, to the point that I consider it a completely viable alternative to either xbox controller.

What are your favorite Steam games to play with a Xbox One controller? Most of the games I've been playing are clearly keyboard focused (Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Minecraft, etc.). Thanks in advance for any suggestions.